Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
Parents who want their kids to bypass probate often hear that a revocable living trust is the gold standard, but not every asset belongs inside one. Some accounts and policies already have built-in probate shortcuts, and moving them into a trust can actually slow things down or trigger tax headaches. I focus here on five…
With less than 6 weeks left in the year, the window to prepare for multiple Social Security shifts is closing fast. I will walk through four of the biggest changes that demand attention now, then connect them to the broader wave of adjustments in 2025, 2026, and the potential 2033 benefit cuts so you can…
Millions of people in the United Kingdom are now receiving out-of-work benefits without any obligation to look for a job, a structural shift that is reshaping both the labour market and the public finances. What began as a crisis-era response to Covid-19 has hardened into a long-term settlement in which large numbers of working-age adults…
Retiring at 62 and grabbing Social Security as soon as the door opens can feel like a reward for decades of work, but it can also quietly hollow out the very safety net you are counting on. Personal finance expert Suze Orman has spent years warning that an early claim can lock in smaller checks…
Starting in 2026, a quiet line in the tax code will flip the script on how many older, high earning workers save for retirement. Instead of steering extra 401(k) dollars into pre tax accounts, a new rule will push a large slice of catch up contributions into Roth territory, changing when you pay the IRS…
Social Security recipients are staring down higher prices for everything from groceries to rent, and for many, the monthly check no longer stretches to the end of the Month. A proposed $200 boost to benefits in 2026 would not erase years of inflation, but it could function as an emergency lifeline for households that have…
Medicare has locked in lower prices on a slate of heavily used prescription drugs, a shift that will ripple through household budgets, federal spending and the broader drug market over the next few years. The first wave covers more than a dozen medications, including blockbuster treatments for Type 2 diabetes, weight loss and chronic lung…
Social Security beneficiaries are set to receive a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment in 2026, lifting the average retirement check by about $56 per month. That increase will help, but it will not come close to covering several major costs that dominate many retirees’ budgets. Here are seven expenses that the 2026 boost is unlikely to fully…
Some Social Security beneficiaries will see their December money hit bank accounts earlier than usual, but the calendar quirk that speeds up the deposit also creates a gap that can stretch budgets thin. I want to walk through who is affected, how the payment schedule really works, and what the early arrival means for anyone…
For decades, conventional wisdom has told workers to aim for 80 percent of their pre-retirement income if they want to maintain their lifestyle after they stop working. New research, shifting spending patterns and a changing economy are now calling that benchmark into question, suggesting it can be both too high for some households and dangerously…
Retirement Shield
The money news that hits your wallet
The free Retirement Shield newsletter covers the benefits, tax, and cost-of-living changes that affect what you keep, a couple of times a week.